And Wisconsin stands still. Thanks to the opposition of Governor-elect Scott Walker and an apparent majority of state residents, federal transportation officials announced Thursday that the state won't get the money needed to build a fast rail link from Milwaukee to Madison. Walker called the decision a victory, and, in one sense, he's right. Those like Walker who thought the rail line was a waste of money won.

But in a larger sense, the state lost. The opposition of Walker and others was shortsighted. The money the Obama administration was willing to invest in Wisconsin would have brought jobs and an improved transportation system. It could have served as an economic development tool and an attraction to new industries.

And it still can if rail advocates continue to fight for creating a modern and balanced transportation system in Wisconsin. Clearly, their work is cut out for them, and, clearly, they failed to make their case to most residents and to Republicans this time around. It's time to start again - because the case still makes sense.

The line would have been part of a network of fast trains connecting major cities in the Midwest, bypassing roads and air travel that are hit harder by weather and, in the case of airlines, by long lines and delays caused by security measures. Roads and cars, meanwhile, will be hit hard by rising gasoline prices and the need to improve a crumbling infrastructure.

A modern rail network offers a sound travel alternative, convenient, comfortable and business-friendly, a fact that other countries and states have long recognized. Furthermore, making Madison one stop on a Midwest network and linking its university, research parks and innovative companies to Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Chicago made all the sense in the world.

This was never about just a Milwaukee-to-Madison link; it was about linking economic centers throughout the Midwest so that they can better compete in a global economy.

But rail supporters were never able to convince a majority of state residents of the importance of rail. Polls showed that only just over a third of residents supported rail and that not enough Wisconsin residents placed it high on an agenda of what the state needs to do.

Rail became a highly politicized issue in the gubernatorial race, even though past Republicans such as former Gov. Tommy Thompson had been a rail advocate.

With Walker's election victory and his promise to stop the proposed rail line, the feds clearly saw no reason to continue to push the matter and pulled the plug, just as they did in Ohio, where another victorious Republican gubernatorial candidate also promised to stop rail.

Now the money will go to other states, such as California and Illinois, where officials will be happy to accept the money that Wisconsin has rejected.

Walker said Thursday that federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told him the state will not have to repay money already spent on the line. The governor-elect should make sure about that; it's the least he can do. The feds did bill New Jersey for a railroad tunnel after that state reneged on its rail deal.

This isn't the end of the world, and, clearly, Wisconsin residents did not support rail in large enough numbers. But it remains a missed opportunity. Rail advocates need to do what they can to make sure the opportunity comes around again - and to more convincingly make their case.